The present invention relates generally to an information processing apparatus and method and a program and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus and method and a program for facilitating the purchase of printed books after the purchase of electronic equivalents.
Electronic books based on digital text data have been coming into widespread use. Generally, electronic books are obtained by converting printed books into digital text data, which are displayed on predetermined electronic book terminal devices. Each electronic book is displayed, page by page, by operating a predetermined key of an electronic book terminal device as if the pages of the printed equivalent were turned over one after the other.
Generally, the electronic books are advantageous in portability over their printed equivalent because, no matter how voluminous they are, they can be accommodated inside hand-held portable electronic book terminal devices. However, if electronic books are read in a manner in which some pages are skipped forward or backward, the reference pages must be electronically marked, which are generally unnecessary with printed books. This inconvenience sometimes makes readers (or users) to turn to the printed equivalent.
However, to get the printed versions of electronic books, the users must go to bookstores or, if they place orders through a network, they must follow the same cumbersome procedures as they bought electronic books.